Prologue

I have always hated the rain. Especially when it bears a violent storm as a companion.

But here I am nonetheless, under the violent downpour, right in front of an eyesore of a motel where I just slept with my class teacher. And I am without a doubt not proud of my actions. Because I have a boyfriend. And I am supposed to be faithful to him. But life always got a way of pushing me to the edge of a cliff with barely half a choice.

Lucas Meadow, my Philosophy teacher, has always had his greedy eyes on younger girls, like the pretty girls in his class. I always knew I was no exception after all the countless sexual passes at me. But I have been so sure I would never let his finger touch me, well until he gave me an offer I couldn't turn my golden eyes away from.

He offered me something palatable; to help me graduate even with my poor grades. And I always knew on my own, I wouldn't make it past the threshold of Northridge High with my mates in the next few months. I was going to have to repeat the senior class.

But not graduating with the others meant I wouldn't be able to go to college with him; Romeo Sheridan, the boy I hope I could have loved with all of me.

How abhorrent that he cares about me so much yet I always manage to hurt him the most? And it's, even more, flabbergasting how I will shamelessly justify my actions by tying it to something—perhaps I saw him laughing with another girl from the cheer team and thought he was cheating, or maybe I saw a text from a random girl asking him to hang out and felt betrayed.

And today? I know exactly what the excuse is going to be even though that can't be justifying enough. Because there were open options; I could have just taken extra classes, gotten serious with my studies, and increased my grades for a better chance next year.

But I have no patience for those. I am sure my brain was made to not grasp a few things in class. And I am sure no matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to graduate the next year or even a year after that. So I resorted to giving my body to the perverted teacher who told me he had a way to make me graduate with others. He said he would manipulate my scores, and write me a recommendation letter to the prestigious university Romeo got accepted into. Oh, he promised to make me a valedictorian.

And I slept with him without thinking how much it would hurt Romeo. I just wanted to be beside him every step he took. I just couldn't imagine living without him.

Now Lucas has taken what he has always wanted, and he has ushered me out into the pouring rain, not realizing that I can't stand it; being alone under the rain, especially midnight ones that are as stormy as this.

The vengeful clasps of the rumbling thunder echoing from the hills make me cower in fear. The flashes of lightning augmenting the dark sky remind me of something from a horror flick.

And being alone makes this much worse.

But just when I am about to start crying like the night I could never seem to forget, I find him before me, my nirvana, the sunshine to my midnight rain, in the shape of a boy six feet tall, kind eyes like an ancient jewel enwrought in snow.

His yellow umbrella hovers over my head and his headphones slip into my ears to block out the thunderous sounds. And then his broad shoulders shield my eyes from the flashes of lightning.

He doesn't scold me as he should. He doesn't show anger, even though he should. He has been faithful to me but I have never been to him. He doesn't let his hurt display in those brilliant orbs of his. Instead, he pulls me into his strong arms, burying my face into his warm chest.

"You didn't have to do it," he says to me, my shivering frame held tightly against his warm body, "I told you that I'll never leave you behind."

"How did you find me?" My strained voice is muffled against his chest.

"I will always find you, Addie." He whispers into my hair, "No matter how dark the path, I will always find my way to you."